blood and gentics quest

• Blood is composed of plasma and formed elements, which include red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets
• Plasma is made up of water, sugar, and minerals
• Many substances are dissolved in plasma such as nutrients, antibodies, hormones, and waste
• Plasma's main function is to transport formed elements
• Platelets are responsible for blood clotting
• Monocytes are white blood cells that can engulf and digest foreign particles, transforming into macrophages when they enter tissues
• Macrophages play a critical role in the immune response by recognizing, engulfing, and digesting pathogens
• Monocytes and macrophages help initiate and modulate the adaptive immune response by presenting antigens to other immune cells
• T cells have subsets including helper T cells and cytotoxic T cells
• Helper T cells assist other immune cells by releasing signaling molecules (cytokines) to activate and enhance their functions
• Cytotoxic T cells directly target and kill infected or abnormal cells
• Natural killer cells don't need activation to attack harmful cells and are part of the innate immune response
• Hemophilia is an inherited bleeding disorder where blood does not clot properly
• Patients with hemophilia should preferably receive vaccinations subcutaneously
• Different blood groups exist due to the presence or absence of antigens on the surface of red blood cells
• The four blood groups are type A, type B, type AB, and type O
• Blood type O- is the universal donor, and blood type AB+ is the universal recipient
• Blood components separate into four layers when centrifuged, with red blood cells sinking to the bottom
• ABO typing is used to determine blood groups by mixing blood samples with antibodies against type A and B blood
• Blood clotting is essential to prevent excessive bleeding, while agglutination can lead to clotting due to antigen-antibody reactions
• Red blood cells contain hemoglobin with iron molecules that bind tightly to oxygen, giving them their red color
• Sickle cell anemia affects the shape of red blood cells, causing them to bend into a "sickle" shape and carry less oxygen
• Sickle cell anemia is inherited on chromosome 11 as a homozygous recessive gene
• Heterozygous individuals have immunity from malaria due to the malaria parasite invading normal red blood cells
• African-Americans have a high incidence of sickle cell anemia due to living in malaria-prone regions
• a subcutaneous injection is an injection that goes under the skin to prevent bleeding to people with sickle cell anemia